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Asha Sharma: Next Xbox Project Name: "Helix" - Will 'lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games'

mayham2199 said:
The upside is having a guaranteed console experience on PS with all the current Xbox games and all future PS games. On top of being able to play all the old PS games you missed out on from PS4 and up.
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They're never going to get all current Xbox games, as said above even PC on Microsoft's own store only have a fraction of the library.

They're going to get select already ported titles, similar to how it is being a PS fan on Steam, maybe 20 games idk, plus assumably the new games. And a blank slate reset, repurchase everything, start over on all games, no achievements or anything.
 
HeisenbergFX4 said:
RSCP5MHeext41new.png
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I wonder if FSR Next is just how they're labeling FSR4.xx in this slide or if they're targeting an FSR5 spec or so.
 
Topher said:
Looks too big to be a mini PC to me. Could be wrong
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Mini-ITX boards are put into various cases of different sizes and shapes. They are still fairly big when meant for high-end gaming usually due to the size of the components + need for lots of active cooling.

And maybe it's not "mini" but it's a not uncommon case design.
 
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Topher said:
You've got three columns there. Xbox on PC. Xbox Series X|S. Cloud Streaming.

"next-gen consoles" is under Xbox on PC.

Just pointing it out.
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The first column confirms that genuine GDK will continue to exist, the foundation upon which the various Xbox game versions are developed, just as it is today. I highlighted this because many here were saying that it was going to end.

The other point is that it refers to "next-gen consoles" in the plural, as if there weren't just one. And it clearly distinguishes between them and Windows handhelds.

That Windows will be the development base is, I think, a given.
 
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Im guessing they will release the next-box along with windows 12 release with windows 12 being baked into the next box already?

I dont think the next-box will come with windows 11 with an eventual upgrade to windows 12
 
IntentionalPun said:
Mini-ITX boards are put into various cases of different sizes and shapes. They are still fairly big when meant for high-end gaming usually due to the size of the components + need for lots of active cooling.

And maybe it's not "mini" but it's a not uncommon case design.
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Yeah, agree. I have a mini PC at home at it is much smaller. Probably mini-itx as you say
 
Darsxx82 said:
The first column confirms that genuine GDK will continue to exist, the foundation upon which the various Xbox game versions are developed, just as it is today. I highlighted this because many here were saying that it was going to end.

The other point is that it refers to "next-gen consoles" in the plural, as if there weren't just one. And it clearly distinguishes between them and Windows handhelds.

That Windows will be the development base is, I think, a given.
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Ah....I follow. Good points
 
]
Darsxx82 said:
The first column confirms that genuine GDK will continue to exist, the foundation upon which the various Xbox game versions are developed, just as it is today. I highlighted this because many here were saying that it was going to end.

The other point is that it refers to "next-gen consoles" in the plural, as if there weren't just one. And it clearly distinguishes between them and Windows handhelds.

That Windows will be the development base is, I think, a given.
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But again, we don't really know WTF MS even means by "console" at this point.

Nothing here is telling us if we are talking about FSE on a "console form factor" or an actual bonafide closed console OS.

But yeah you already build for XBox on PC w/ GDK.
 
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The worst part about this is that no games will be made for it, they will all be developed for PC and they will happen tp play on this. After a while this will not run anything at reasonable settings at all, especially if you cant upgrade it like a normal PC.
 
Woody337 said:
The worst part about this is that no games will be made for it, they will all be developed for PC and they will happen tp play on this. After a while this will not run anything at reasonable settings at all, especially if you cant upgrade it like a normal PC.
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This was clear from the start to people with a working brain...
 
IntentionalPun said:
]
But again, we don't really know WTF MS even means by "console" at this point.

Nothing here is telling us if we are talking about FSE on a "console form factor" or an actual bonafide closed console OS.

But yeah you already build for XBox on PC w/ GDK.
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We don't know, but the fact that Microsoft is clearly differentiating between next-gen consoles and current Windows handhelds (including ROG Xbox Ally) speaks volumes.

You certainly don't send pre-release versions to developers of specific hardware if they were "just a PC." They're using the same logistics as when they launch a traditional console.
 
Topher said:
More than likely
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Yep, looks like that's what it is

Building for the Future with Xbox GDC Keynote updates:

UPDATE 10.37am PT: Ronald announces "Xbox Mode" is coming to Windows 11 in "select markets" starting in April. It adds features found on Xbox Ally to your PC and laptop. You'll be able to switch into Xbox mode to get that "Xbox feeling," Ronald says, noting that players want "their content front and center," and to play 2-3 games at any time.
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www.ign.com

Microsoft's GDC 2026 Keynote — Everything Announced on the Future of Xbox and Project Helix - IGN

Microsoft is set to hold a keynote at the Game Developers Conference to shed light on its plans for the future of Xbox, and IGN will be in the room to bring you all the news as it happens.
www.ign.com www.ign.com

IGN is doing a text keynote of the talk.
 
Darsxx82 said:
We don't know, but the fact that Microsoft is clearly differentiating between next-gen consoles and current Windows handhelds (including ROG Xbox Ally) speaks volumes.

You certainly don't send pre-release versions to developers of specific hardware if they were "just a PC." They're using the same logistics as when they launch a traditional console.
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That is what is odd, why do you need a devkit if its just a PC?
 
Woody337 said:
The worst part about this is that no games will be made for it, they will all be developed for PC and they will happen tp play on this. After a while this will not run anything at reasonable settings at all, especially if you cant upgrade it like a normal PC.
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The thing is, those PowerPoint screenshots are saying the opposite. They're going to continue using unified GDKs for development, just like they have been.

Besides, you don't send developers early versions of Helix if it were just a simple PC running unoptimized PC games. The logistics and infrastructure they're describing are the same as when they launch a new traditional console.
 
DenchDeckard said:
This is wild to see MS literally putting the Series X at the forefront. I guess the "This is an Xbox" campaign is dead and gone and they are going in a different direction.
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Until they reveal Xbox ecosystem is not tied to windows or cloud it would be foolish to assume everything is an Xbox campaign is dead.

My theory is that the general gaming public were too dumb to grasp that "everything is an Xbox" = windows ecosystem/open ecosystem. Bond actually thought regular gamers are informed customers 🤣
 
Darsxx82 said:
We don't know, but the fact that Microsoft is clearly differentiating between next-gen consoles and current Windows handhelds (including ROG Xbox Ally) speaks volumes.

You certainly don't send pre-release versions to developers of specific hardware if they were "just a PC." They're using the same logistics as when they launch a traditional console.
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It's hard for me to say anything Microsoft writes on a slide "speaks volumes" because they play fast and loose with terms. They already have Windows handhelds, so that doesn't really mean much to me.

They could be doing the dev-kit thing because "Xbox" now means "games for Windows Store" and they want to encourage that, and will shift all of their support resources currently designed for getting people to release on Xbox over to releasing on Windows Store (rebranded as XBox, but those games would/should be available on any device running Windows 11+ at least.) They also want to encourage devs to target their hardware specs.

Steam Deck for instance has dev kits. It's not a console it's a PC.

What is a "next-gen Xbox" to Microsoft? That's the question that they need to answer.

- Something that is running Windows for "next-gen" but boots XS games in a BC mode?
- Something that is running Windows only for PC versions of games but can boot games in BC mode or in next-gen console mode?
- Something else?
 
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IntentionalPun said:
It's hard for me to say anything Microsoft writes on a slide "speaks volumes" because they play fast and loose with terms. They already have Windows handhelds, so that doesn't really mean much to me.

They could be doing the dev-kit thing because "Xbox" now means "games for Windows Store" and they want to encourage that, and will shift all of their support resources currently designed for getting people to release on Xbox over to releasing on Windows Store (rebranded as XBox, but those games would/should be available on any device running Windows 11+ at least.) They also want to encourage devs to target their hardware specs.

Steam Deck for instance has dev kits. It's not a console it's a PC.

What is a "next-gen Xbox" to Microsoft? That's the question that they need to answer.

- Something that is running Windows for "next-gen" but boots XS games in a BC mode?
- Something that is running Windows only for PC versions of games but can boot games in BC mode or in next-gen console mode?
- Something else?
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A console that can run Windows virualized using Hyper-V.
 
IntentionalPun said:
It's hard for me to say anything Microsoft writes on a slide "speaks volumes" because they play fast and loose with terms. They already have Windows handhelds, so that doesn't really mean much to me.

They could be doing the dev-kit thing because "Xbox" now means "games for Windows Store" and they want to encourage that, and will shift all of their support resources currently designed for getting people to release on Xbox over to releasing on Windows Store (rebranded as XBox, but those games would/should be available on any device running Windows 11+ at least.) They also want to encourage devs to target their hardware specs.

Steam Deck for instance has dev kits. It's not a console it's a PC.

What is a "next-gen Xbox" to Microsoft? That's the question that they need to answer.

- Something that is running Windows for "next-gen" but boots XS games in a BC mode?
- Something that is running Windows only for PC versions of games but can boot games in BC mode or in next-gen console mode?
- Something else?
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With what MS charges for devkits if its just a PC they wont sell many
 
adamsapple said:
I wonder if FSR Next is just how they're labeling FSR4.xx in this slide or if they're targeting an FSR5 spec or so.
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It's FSR5 of course
kevboard said:
I really hope their custom SoC does in fact focus on RT performance. maybe increase the number of whatever the RDNA5 equivalent of RT cores are, compared to what a standard PC part would have.

raytracing/pathtracing performance will be what defines next gen consoles imo.
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The custom SoC is just the CPU/NPU/Media/Display part, the GPU is AT2 chiplet same as desktop successor to the 9070 XT.
 
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